Romilla Arber's hefty book 'What's for Dinner?' is full of inexpensive,
nutritous family food.

The winner of the 2012 Gourmand International Award for best easy recipes cookbook, What’s for Dinner? is a great block of a book, 768 pages long. Arber is neither a celebrity nor a trained chef but a ‘mother of four’ who had to self-publish her book because no other would take a punt on an unknown (ie not on TV) cookery writer. Shameful. And how pleasing that her hard work paid off, because this is a great book, organised into months with a recipe for each day of the year aimed at encouraging the idea of a balanced, inexpensive, home-cooked diet for families. February introduces things such as fried chicken legs, potato and chickpea curry, and rabbit and prune stew, as well as these lemony lamb cutlets. Proceeds from the sales of the book support the Food Education Trust, which Arber set up in 2008.

Place the lamb cutlets in a large bowl and cover with the marinade ingredients. Season well and leave in the fridge for 30 minutes or so.

Heat the two tablespoons of olive oil in a large sauté pan and add the rosemary leaves. Remove the cutlets from the marinade, setting it aside for later. Gently fry the cutlets in batches for about two minutes each side until golden brown (a little longer if they are thick). Put the chops on a warm serving dish. Keep the pan on the heat and pour in the marinade.

Stir in the butter, add the parsley and stir. Pour this sauce over the cutlets and serve with spring greens and roast potatoes.